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benplouviez.bsky.social
Retired and now tender of donkeys (2) and minder of cats (2) as well as reader of books (lots) and thinker of great thoughts (none really). Also maker of irritating jokes, so sorry (not sorry) about that. Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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Who wants to see two Maine Coons intently watching bird videos on YouTube?

Always so lovely to see: Orion. And yes, I’m pleased with the photograph.

OpenAI shocked and appalled that an AI company would steal intellectual property www.404media.co/openai-furio...

So sad that Drumpf was not able to attend today’s ceremony to tell us how happy he was to be in Germany, how there were very good people on both sides of the electric fence, and how he’s now going to build the greatest camps ever.

Anyone who posts here to tell us excitedly that the President of the USA is (a) lying, (b) corrupt and/or (c) incompetent is wasting their breath. We know, we know. Shouting it doesn’t make it any better.

I would urge everyone to read this piece, and particularly the last four paragraphs. Because what they are saying is quite extraordinary.

It turns out that Farage was right; foreigners were coming for his job.

For all UK politicians prat of about the “Special Relationship”, most Brits hate the idea of the Americans telling us what to do. So TrumpMusk’s blusterings could produce the bizarre result of making Peter Mandelson popular — and Nigel Farage unpopular — on this side of the Atlantic.

Book people. I’m fairly sure I was told years ago that Eyeless in Gaza was the first novel to use a broken time-sequence. Is this true? I can’t think of an earlier one, but was it really Huxley’s invention?

During Covid lockdown, if you had family round on Christmas Day the police could force their way into your home and make them return to their own homes. Does anybody know if this service is still available and, if so, do you have to book it?

Hey authors, don’t forget that if you use bookshop.org instead of that great big place, you will be helping out indie bookshops - very few of who make so much they are dabbling with building rockets - you can even choose which bookshop uk.bookshop.org/shop/booksho...

This is very good. Thank you, @iandunt.bsky.social, for a damn bit of sense.

Whisky and Tango in postprandial fraternal bliss.

BLTQIA+

UK journalists talking about echo chambers when 0.2% of journalists are Black and 2.5% Asian and 51% of the most influential journalists went to private school is a bit of a joke

I'm sorry, but putting up a Christmas tree in November makes you 100 per cent Absolute Monster.

I can’t remember if I’ve posted a #proofOfCat before. So here’s a belated mélange de chat.

musk has lost the clifton suspension bridge

This works.

Browsing randomly around BlueSky, I’m reminded that the USA is full of incredibly clever people with astonishing insight into the world’s problems. And every single one of them is going to be totally ignored for the next 4 years.

Sorry, the marketplace of ideas is closed. Welcome to the pawnshop of delusions.

Ru’s primary goal has always been to take Ukraine’s sovereignty, not territory. The land grab is only for leverage towards achieving that end goal. This was true in 2014, in 2022 and now. That’s why territorial concessions by Ukr would solve nothing, that’s why Ru insists on things like…

Angela Rayner on Grenfell: “Greed and deregulation were put before safety” Deregulation is not some buccaneering good as Tories would have you believe. Deregulation means removing our protections so that the rich and the powerful can take risks and exploit us. Let’s not help them do that.

Cleverly’s not a liberal, but he makes a valid point that most immigration arises from the UK’s serious needs for healthcare workers and students. Then he fucks it by referring to the need to “prevent exploitation and manipulation of our visa system”. Some honesty would be so refreshing.

So Britain’s loneliest PM has been rescued.

Oh God, please not Robert "whitewash the Mickey Mouse murals" Jenrick